Realtors REALLY Piss Me Off! 

posted by Odin on Feb 23, 2011

'For Sale' by lisbokt, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

Just when I thought I couldn't hate real estate agents any more than I already did, they prove me wrong by pissing me off on a different level this time!

The reason I have always hated realtors is that I find them to be hot-headed, egotistical, not responsive and useless.  This is not to say they are ALL bad, but many of them are.

Their hot-headedness and egoism is my personal opinion, I admit.  As for the non-responsiveness, I believe that many of us, while using a realtor to buy a home, can attest to how they often show you listings that are way above your budget, or that dont fit at all your specifications, as portrayed in the following conversation:

Buyer: "I am not looking for a fixer-upper.  I want something move-in-ready."
Realtor: "Just imagine the possibilities."

No!  I do not want to imagine anything!  Thanks for wasting both of our times with this useless visit!

Or, I love it when you tell them you am looking for a 3-bedroom for example, and they take you to a listing that says 2+1 bedrooms, only for you to find out once on site that the +1 is not really a bedroom, but a corner or tiny den that is usually impossible to make into a separate bedroom.

As for their uselessness, I have already addressed this in a previous blog entry.  I still believe that with total availability and dissemination of information, as demonstrated by websites such as MLS, ComFree and others, realtors' role and value will diminish because we will all have access to the same information they have been trying to protect for decades.

More recently, however, several agents have really gotten under my nerves by sending me emails complaining about comments left on their listings on SeekOdin.  Some have even insulted me, my business and threatened to take legal action against me if I do not remove the comments in question, which they think are defamatory.

Let me first state that I always filter out any comment or part of a comment that is actually defamatory.  I admit that some comments left are out of place, insulting, useless and not in the spirit of SeekOdin.  I do not need to be threatened to filter those out, which I do on a constant basis.  However, none of the comments brought up by those complaining agents are actually defamatory.  They all speak to the poster's frustration while using the services of the realtors in question.

I have never received any communication nearly as ridiculous, offensive and menacing as the ones I regularly receive from realtors from a professional under any of the other category of services listed on SeekOdin (accountants, lawyers, mechanics, plumbers ...), even though many of them have much more negative comments left on their listings.

I will not name those agents, but they know who they are.  Rather than satisfy their childish demands and delete the "offensive" comments in question, I have decided to remove their listings altogether.  Why should a "professional" that cannot accept criticism gain exposure on a site that gets well over five thousand unique visitors a month?  It is their loss, if you want my opinion.  That, plus the fact that I do not have time to keep answering their pesky and insulting emails, let alone go to court for the sake of their inflated egos.

I want those agents to know that the reason I have sort-of "caved in" at the end, is not so much to protect myself and my business, because in the end, it is not I that am "defaming" them, as they like to charge.  It is rather the honest Montrealers that contribute to my site by leaving comments.  For that, I thank them for their participation.  If ever a case gets big enough to go to court, I would most likely receive a court order to give out the IP address used when an offending comment was left.  So in the end, it is the users of my website that will lose, not me.  And that is something I will never let happen.

Needless to say, those agents have demonstrated their non-professionalism, their lack of openness and complete inability to take any sort of criticism.  And THAT is why I believe they are hot-headed and egotistical.

Canada's Tire Change Woes 

posted by Odin on Sep 06, 2010

'damon's car, meet snow' by hradcanska, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License

Now that summer is over, and winter is approaching, the tire change deadline looms on my mind, and reminds me of my experience last year.

As I am certain that nobody reads my infrequently-updated blog on a regular basis, I will remind the reader that I had bought a new car last year in September. A month later, I was surprised to learn that car owners were now obliged to put winter tires during the predefined winter season (I was living temporarily in France during the previous winter, so I was not aware of this law passing).

So now all car owners are required to factor in the price of two sets of tires when considering the total cost of ownership of their car. And of course, I had to buy a 17-inch wheeler, thus adding up significantly to this cost.

I had never really purchased any tires in Canada before, and so after shopping around a bit, I discovered that the tire market seems very narrow and highly non-competitive (as are all other markets in Canada apparently). The conclusion was that I could not find any decent 17-inch winter tire for under $150 a tire. So I was looking at a minimum price tag of $690 for the set, after taxes. No small amount by any measure.

But then I remembered that I was driving to New York City a couple weeks before the winter tire deadline. I was sure that I could get a better price down there. After a few minutes spent on TireRack.com, I found an amazing set of 17-inch tires for $95 each. The same ones went for $165 at Canadian Tire! How ridiculous is that? I am not going to factor in currency variations as the two dollars have been fluctuating close to parity for a while now.

I would have to be insane not to take advantage of the price difference. Over the entire set, I was looking at $380 instead of $660! Plus, I was below my Canadian customs quota of $400 for an absence over 48 hours, so I wouldn't have to pay any duties on bringing the tires in from the US.

So I placed the order, drove down to New York and was on my way back to Canada after having spent the weekend away. Obviously the customs agent couldn't help but notice four very large bags sitting in the back of my car (17-inchers, remember). He asked me how much they cost. I said $380 all inclusive. He didn't believe me. I didn't have a bill since the tires were ordered online.

After a bit of persuasion, he let me through. However, he also warned me that I should have printed the bill to prove the price. What annoys me is the lack of trust and the assumption he made that I "had" to be lying. Why else would I buy the tires from the US if it weren't for the fact that they are so much cheaper down there?

Anyhow, I hope that everyone in Quebec would follow my example and buy their winter tires from the US. We need to teach our local suppliers that we will find other ways of getting what we want if they insist on raising prices and controlling them.

The worst part is that winter tires are now mandatory, meaning they are no longer a "luxury". Shouldn't the government intervene and do something to prevent retailers and/or distributors from taking us consumers for a ride?

On that note, drive safely this winter!

Consumer Protection: Europe vs. North America 

posted by Odin on Mar 05, 2010

'Dove Billboard' by ebarrera, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License

Back in December, I read a great article in the Gazette discussing the excessive doctoring and editing done to marketing images in the women's fashion/beauty industry.  The author mentions that in France, "legislators have proposed a bill that would require publishers to label which images were real and which had been enhanced", "in an attempt to educate consumers".

Isn't this amazing?  I know this is not going to change the world or make it a better place, but it's just an example of how France and Europe in general are so much more pro-consumer than North America.  The author goes on to say "although this bill might not consider the interests of the advertisers, it does consider those of the consumer".

That is exactly what I am driving at.  Corporations need to be kept in check using small measures such as this one; otherwise the consumer is just being taken for a ride.

The article reminded me of other such regulations that I have encountered during the year and a half I spent in France.  For example, I recall reading somewhere that all airlines and travel brokers in France are required by law to only advertise the final price for a trip.  They are not allowed, for example, to list a figure before taxes and add a star pointing to the fine print, which says that taxes and other fuel surcharges need to be added, a strategy very common here in Canada.

Almost every edition of the Gazette contains WestJet and Air Transat ads for example, showcasing very attractive prices, such as $350 round-trip tickets to Italy.  However, once you go on their website and get to the payment screen, the price easily doubles, after taxes, fuel and other charges are added.

This is plain ridiculous!  Why not completely insult our intelligence, tell us tickets go for $10 and add a thousand dollars in taxes?  The point is that the advertised price is meaningless to the consumer.

Another example concerns food advertisements in France.  Any poster or magazine spread for non-healthy or non-essential food and drink products are obligated to display a modestly-sized disclaimer saying something like "You must eat such and such servings for fruits and vegetables a day" or "be sure to exercise regularly to maintain good health".

The list of such examples goes on.  My question is: why can't Canada be more pro-consumer?  Why must the corporation reign supreme?  I think Europe can teach us important lessons in this respect.

Travel Insurance: Useful or Not? 

posted by Odin on Dec 24, 2009

'Insurance Disclaimer' by andrew steinmetz, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License

I hate the insurance industry.  To me, it represents the ultimate form of corporate dominance over the consumer.  However, I understand that insurance as a service is needed and is here to stay, and so we have to deal with it and accept it.

Today I want to talk a little about travel insurance in particular.  Is it worth getting when traveling outside of Canada?  According to a poll mentioned in the Gazette some time ago, nearly 40% of Canadians do not purchase a policy when traveling to the United States.

I've only actually purchased travel insurance once in my many travels.  And the time I did purchase one was actually because I was required to do so, not because I thought it could be useful.  To keep a long story short, when I moved to France for work about two years ago, the French government had me buy a supplemental health insurance to cover me while I was there (the Quebec coverage was not enough).  So I went ahead and paid a little over $600 for a one-year policy.

While in France, I went to see a doctor on one occasion, where I paid him in cash.  The next day, when I called my insurer, I was told I would not be reimbursed because I was supposed to call ahead of my doctor's visit to get the reimbursement authorized.  Are you kidding me?  That kind of puts the whole "emergency" concept into question!

Apparently, I was supposed to read the fine print in the policy booklet!  To quote Jerry Seinfeld: "Have you seen the size of this thing?", or George Costanza: "Should I quit my job?"

But then you hear about the exorbitant prices for medical care in the United States, and you think to yourself "maybe it is worth insuring myself".  According to that same article from the Gazette, a one-day stay at a hospital south of our border for a broken arm for example could cost over $30k!  Of this astronomical sum, only $500 would be covered or reimbursed by our government!

Forget about traveling outside of Canada.  Even for travel within Canada, most people ignore the reality of our coverage situation.  Our provincial health insurance does not actually cover us outside of Quebec for everything, and when it does, it may not pay in full.

So, to sum up, I would say that in THEORY, travel insurance sounds like a safeguard worth purchasing.  The reality, however, is that there are so many circumstances and exceptions that can stop you from getting what was promised, that you might be better off traveling without any insurance.

Just cross your fingers, and hope nothing serious happens to you while abroad!

Auto Insurance Price Wars 

posted by Odin on Oct 01, 2009

'2000 VW Passat @ Zimbrick Middleton' by cw, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License & 'Neuer KdoW der Feuerwehr Tübingen' by FWPIX, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License

For those rare individuals out there that actually read this blog, you may recall my entry back in July about wanting to buy a new car.  Well, a couple of months later, I am the proud owner of a red 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan.  Today I want to talk a little about how I obtained an auto insurance plan for my brand-new purchase.

Just to provide a little background and context, I used to own a 1999 Volkswagen Passat that I insured with company A (not through a broker, but direct with the insurer).  This insurer covered me from 2003 to 2008, when I sold the car prior to moving temporarily to France.

During that period, my insurance premiums kept decreasing nicely over the years from $1,046 to $771 (these are annual figures, after taxes), even though I made a claim of around $1,700 in 2006.  So, obviously, after receiving such great service, before buying my new Tiguan, I first called my old insurer to get a quote.

Man was I disappointed!  They slammed me with a first quote of around $1,600!  Granted, I was asking for much more coverage, smaller deductibles, and all sorts of additional options (since I'm buying a new car now, whereas my Passat was a used acquisition).  But still, I am also now older and married, I live in Westmount and I work from home.  No way was I going to pay more than double my previous premium!

So I decided to look elsewhere.  A friend of mine recommended a broker from company B.  After giving him all of my information, he came back with a best quote of $962.  Now this was a good price, given that all the deductibles were at the minimum, the insurance was comprehensive/all-way and included all of the options maxed-out.

Just for fun, I then contacted my old insurer A again, and told him that I would like to stay with him (not really true, but I did also have my condo insured with them, meaning I would get a 10% rebate for multiple products insured), but that his price wasn't competitive at all.  So he crunched in some numbers, and came back with $1,041!  So he basically went down from around $1,600 to $1,041 for the exact same vehicle and insurance plan!

Needless to say, I still took broker B's plan, since it was still cheaper.  But the moral of the story is that you have to bargain and put these people under pressure.  Their quotes are not fixed in stone, and they have some leeway.

After poking around, I found out that insurer A couldn't go any lower because I haven't been insured in the last 30 days (which is expected, since I haven't owned a car in a little over a year).  So for them, that's almost like starting from scratch.  The insurer proposed by broker B does not have such a clause, and is able to give a good price regardless of when my last insurance plan expired.

I actually got a third quote from broker C (the one suggested by the VW dealer that sold me my Tiguan), but that one was still higher than B's.  For him, the cut-off limit was one year, but since I had sold my car just over a year ago, I was reset to zero.

The point is; each insurer has a very different method of calculating your premium, based on many variables and factors.  It is essential to therefore shop around among brokers and insurers.  I would recommend dealing with a broker rather than directly with an insurer, since most brokers represent between five and ten insurers, so at least he's doing some of the shopping for you.